Shopping bag



ug. 3, 1943a L. W. HARLEM SHOPPING BAG Filed April lO, 1942 O a a Patented Aug. 3, 1943 :1 aszasssz;

ksrro.1 1ni\ic laafff f Y. Y ALewis W. Harlem, Bo'strlf'ltfass. I t Applieation April 10, 1942, serial No. 438,429 (o1. 15o-1.7) My invention consists in a collapsible shopping 2 Claims.

bag of novel construction.

The invention hasbas its principal object to provide a bag sufliciently capacious to receive a copious quantity of articles and yet capable of`A prisesthe combination ofv foldable members disposed at the mouth of the'bag and tending normally to keep it open, and a stiff insert disposed in the bottom of the bag and normally cooperating with the members at the mouth to keep the bag open and in a condition be easily introduced therein.

A shopper may carry the rolled bag in a pocket or handbag until it comes time to carry articles permitting articles to V in it; then the bag may instantly be shaken out ready for use.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be more readily understood and of the panels I0 are disposed at the apices I8 of appreciated from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which: Y

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a bag constructed ac cording to my invention and shown in open position,

Fig. 2 is a View in cross-section along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,I

Fig. 3 is a view in sideelevation showingfthe first steps in folding the bag,

Fig. 4 is a View in cross-section along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation showing the bag almost completely rolled.

As shown in the drawing the bag body may convenientlybe made of cloth, although any ilexible, collapsible sheet material may be used. The body includes a pair of side walls or panels I0 stitched together with` their edges turned inas shown at I5 in Fig. '1. To the lower edges of the side walls I0 I stitch a bottom wall or panel I 2.

. Conventional looped handles I 4 are secured to the mouth of the bag.

Around the mouth of the bag is stitched Van external cloth binding strip I1 in which are enclosed four reinforcing strips I6 of cardboard, two of such strips I6 being distributed along the upper margin of each side Wall I0. Preferably the cardboard strips I6are cemented to oneinside surface 0f the binding strip I'I. The strips Y I6 stiften the bag mouth but permitits sides to be folded about longitudinal or vertical fold lines into four sections, there being a hinge action at the four points I8where the separate cardboard strips I6 meet. The result is a collapsible stiffener disposed at the mouth of the bag.

In the .bottom of thebag two stiff pieces 20 ofcardboard are cemented on one surface to a sheet of cloth 22 and on the other surface tothe inside of the cloth bagbottom I2. The pieces 20 and the cloth 2| are shaped to fit the'bottom I2 and eachpiece constitutes one half of the bot.- tom. Between them is provided a hinge or central fold line which permits the bottom to be` folded in half so that the bag may be rolled into a compact package half as long as the bottom of the open bag.

When the bag is unfolded, the strips I6 naturally tend to open the mouth of the bag and hold it open in quadrilateral or approximately square shape, particularly since the inturned edges I5 the angles formed by the strips I6. The stiiener in the bottom of the bag urges theside walls Illr apart and also provides a flat base. The result is that the bag may easily be lled, since it is not necessary to hold the mouthV open with one hand and ll the bag with thej other. Furthermore, when the bag is full, the flat base provides a support making'it possible to setl the full bag down withouthaving it tip over.

When it is desired to collapse the bag, the bottom I2,.with the stieners 2D, is folded over into .theposition shown in Fig. 3. Then the bag is folded in halfV along the fold line 24 (as shown in Fig. 3), the fold line coinciding with the junction of the pieces 20 in the bag bottomand with the junctions of the four cardboard strips I6 in its upper edge. Finally the folded bag is' rolled up from the bottom to make a small compact package. Fig. 5 shows the bag almost completely rolled. For example, a bag 15 1/ginches high and Y having side walls about 13 inches wide may beV rolled into a at rectangular package approximately seven inches long, four inches vvideanjd `one inch thick. These dimensions are not criti- L cal, but merely illustrative.

which can be made in the construction shown in the drawings without departing from the scope" of the appended claims.

Having thus described and illustrated my` invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. Ashopping bag comprising two side panels foldable about longitudinal fold lines into fourV 2. A shopping bag comprising side panels foldable about longitudinal fold lines into four overlapping sections of substantially equal Width, a stiiening insert coextensive with the upper edge of each panel section and movable to form a quadrilateral to hold the mouth of the bag open, said inserts being located in the panels to provide a hinge at the edge of each side section, and a bottom having a pair of hinged rigid inserts arranged to be folded transversely on a fold line in alignment witha pairof opposed hinges between the inserts at, the upper edges of the panel sections, whereby the collapsed bag may be rolled git'udinal fold lines of the panels, wherebythe .15 collapsed bag may be rolled into a compact package.

vinto a compact package half the width of one panel.

LEWIS W. HARLEM. 

